1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a prop for propping a golf bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional prop or support structure permanently attached to a golf bag comprises a pair of legs that may be spread and held in a triangular form by corresponding auxiliary poles manually pushed outward when the golf bag is placed down on the ground. Such conventional prop has disadvantages that the legs must be permanently attached to the bag to prop, and may only be worked by manually spreading or collapsing the auxiliary poles cooperatively associated with the respective legs. Another disadvantage of the conventional prop is that the legs are so rapidly spread that the user often worries lest they strike him or other persons.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a prop for securely supporting a golf bag which comprises a pair of legs detachably attached to the golf bag without requiring auxiliary poles for helping spread the legs into a triangular rest position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a prop for securely supporting a golf bag that enables the user to comfortably spread the legs without worrying lest they strike him or other persons.
It is still anther object of the present invention to provide a prop for securely supporting a golf bag that may be automatically collapsed into the original carriage position.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an automatically collapsible prop for propping a golf bag having a frame with a top and a bottom shaping part, comprises:
a plurality of rigid poles for connecting the top and bottom shaping parts so as to form a space approximating the length of a golf club between them;
a rack member fixedly attached to the top shaping part having a central guide rail part formed between two side tooth parts with a number of elongated parallel teeth, the side tooth parts being inclined toward the inside of the golf bag symmetrically to each other;
a slide mechanism having a central support part held and guided by the guide rail part, and a pair of pinion support parts symmetrically and integrally formed with the central support part;
a pair of pinions rotatably mounted on the respective pinion support parts of the slide mechanism so as to respectively engage the two side tooth parts;
a pair of legs respectively connected to the pair of pinions;
a lever rod fastened to the slide mechanism with its one end part projected upward through the central support part of the slide mechanism for moving upward the slide mechanism by pushing the other end against the ground;
a through threaded hole formed in the top shaping part for receiving the one end part of the lever rod;
a screw cap made with a hollow to receive the one end of the lever rod for closing the upper end of the through threaded hole by engaging its threads; and
a coil spring mounted between the central support part of the slide mechanism and the lower end of the screw cap for normally pushing the slide mechanism downward, wherein if the other end of the lever rod is pushed against the ground, the slide mechanism moves upward overcoming the resilient force of the coil spring so as to rotate the pinions engaged by the side tooth parts and thus to spread the pair of legs into a triangular rest position with respect to the inner frame, while if the other end of the lever rod is released from the ground, the slide mechanism moves downward by the resilient force of the coil spring so as to reversely rotate the pinions and thus to collapse the pair of legs into the original carriage position.
Preferably, the guide rail part comprises a pair of rails with approximately L-shaped cross sections symmetrically arranged to each other, and the central support part is provided with a pair of grooves for respectively and slidingly catching the pair of rails.
Preferably, the pinions are respectively provided with leg connectors for detachably attaching the legs. The lever rod is fastened to the slide mechanism at a point of the central support part by means of a screw. The projected length of the lever rod from the central support part is long enough to go into the inlet of the through threaded hole. The pinions have teeth only formed on the portions of their respective peripheries to contact the side tooth parts during operation.
Preferably, the pinions have pinion stopper planes formed at the ends of their tooth parts that most strongly contact the side tooth parts in the triangular rest position. The side tooth parts have rack stopper planes for contacting their respective ones of the pinion stopper planes at the corresponding positions.
Preferably, the coil spring is interposed between the lower end of the screw cap and a seat formed on the upper end of the central support part surrounding a part of the lever rod.
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the drawings attached only by way of example.